Stanford vs. Oregon: Game Grades, Analysis for Ducks

On the arm and legs of Marcus Mariota, the Oregon Ducks were able to handily defeat Pac-12 North Division rival Stanford on Saturday by a score of 45-16. 

Mariota totaled nearly 350 yards of total offense. The elite signal-caller also contributed two touchdowns on the ground in addition to throwing for two more scores.

The vaunted Stanford defense simply had no answers for the quick-attack Oregon offense. Only allowing 12.5 points per game heading into the contest, David Shaw's unit relinquished its highest point total of the season. The Ducks also rolled up an impressive (and perhaps surprising) 526 yards of total offense. 

A full box score can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com. Check out first-half game grades and final grades for the Oregon Ducks. Additional analysis for position units will also be addressed. 

Position Units	First-Half Grades	Final Grades
Passing Offense	B	B+
Pass Defense	C+	B
Rushing Offense	A	A
Run Defense	B	A
Special Teams	A	A
Coaching	A	A

Oregon Ducks Analysis

Passing Offense

Oregon didn't look to test Stanford often on deep throws, but Mariota was superb on intermediate strikes. The signal-caller finished an efficient 19-of-30 for 258 yards and two touchdowns. 

His productive running of the football forced Stanford to commit more defenders up in the box. As a result, Mariota was able to exploit one-on-one matchups down the field with his receivers.

Pass Defense

There were some breakdowns in the back end. Stanford had the majority of its success on throws over the middle of the field. Devon Cajuste and Austin Hooper in particular were unaccounted for on multiple occasions.

The lack of a consistent pass rush also enabled Hogan to scan the field and throw with much accuracy. Hogan finished 21-of-29 for 237 yards. The highlight of the night for the Oregon secondary was an Erick Dargan interception late in the third quarter on a poorly thrown ball by Hogan. Dargan also forced a fumble on Hogan later in the game.

Rushing Offense

Oregon was simply sensational Saturday night running the football. The offensive line protected Mariota exceptionally well by not only giving him time to sit in the pocket and make throws, but also by opening up running lanes for the elite quarterback to exploit with his legs. 

The unit as a whole rushed for more than 250 yards. Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner combined for over 150 yards on the ground. Tyner had the play of the game with his spin-move in the open field, leading to one of his two touchdowns. 

Run Defense

The run defense did a very nice job, holding a run-heavy team to a paltry 3.4 yards-per-carry average. Most of Stanford's success running the football came on scrambles and designed runs by Hogan. He led Stanford on the night with 42 yards rushing on 11 carries. 

Both Danny Mattingly and Joe Walker were impressive against the run. Each had tackles for loss, darting into the backfield and wrapping up the ball-carrier. 

Special Teams

The unit was solid across the board. Freshman kicker Aidan Schneider connected on his only attempt of the night. Perhaps the biggest development was the job the kickoff and punt cover team did on Ty Montgomery. Although Stanford's lethal returner did have decent gains on kickoffs, Oregon corralled him and never allowed a return for a touchdown.  

Coaching 

Offensively, Mark Helfrich opted to place more of an emphasis on Mariota running the football. Stanford had no answer for this development. As the game wore on, the success on the ground opened up things in the passing game. This epitomizes what Oregon's offense is, dating back to the Chip Kelly era. When functioning at this level, it's incredibly difficult to stop. 

Don Pellum's defense neutralized Stanford's ground game and forced Hogan to make plays with his arm. While accurate and efficient, he never seriously threatened Oregon with any big plays.